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U.S., SOUTH KOREA REACH ORGANIC DEAL: U.S. and South Korean manufacturers of organic processed food can now sell their products in either country without gaining additional certifications, ending a six-month closure of the Korean market to American producers. While the agreement will reinstate roughly $35 million in American organic processed food exports, including frozen meals, dairy products and cereals, producers and government officials are hoping it is just the first step in opening the door to trading a full range of organic agricultural products.

“The limitation on processed products was a big concern for us," said Miles McEvoy, deputy administrator for the Agriculture Department’s National Organic Program. However, the agreement does create an organic working group between the two countries, “so we will continue to engage with them in the future to try to broaden the agreement,” McEvoy told POLITICO. The full story from yours truly is available here: http://politico.pro/1k9iHc1

HAPPY TUESDAY! Welcome to Morning Ag where your host would really appreciate it if we could get all of today’s news out of the way by, oh, say 4 p.m.-ish, in preparation for a game that does actually count. You know the deal: thoughts, news, tips, harbingers for a U.S. soccer victory? Send them to jhopkinson@politico.com or @jennyhops. Follow us @Morning_Ag and @POLITICOPro.

FIREWORKS AND EMPTY WALLETS?: Your Fourth of July barbeque is going to be a bit more expensive this year. The American Farm Bureau Federation has run the numbers and found that the cost of a summer cook-out is up 5.4 percent — costing $5.87 per person this year over 2013’s $5.57. The cause of the price increase? Ground round is up 13.4 percent, pork spare ribs 13.2 percent and American cheese 14.3 percent. Everything else, from potato salad to watermelon to hot dog buns. stayed relatively steady over last year, with the exception of ketchup, which is down 12 percent. The farm bureau’s break down of the numbers is available here: http://politico.pro/VAVMBw

DAIRY PRODUCERS SEEK EXEMPTION FROM BIOTERRORISM RULE: “Milk would be a ‘poor choice’ for a terrorist group seeking to attack the U.S. food supply, say dairy producers looking to be exempted from the FDA’s proposed bioterrorism regulations,” Pro Agriculture’s Helena Bottemiller Evich reports.

“‘[F]or a number of reasons, we disagree with the premise that on-farm milk destined for pasteurization is a high-risk food and, therefore, we maintain that activities on dairy farms should not be addressed through this rule,’ said Beth Panko Briczinski, vice president of dairy foods and nutrition for the National Milk Producers Federation. ‘First and foremost, on-farm milk destined for pasteurization would be a poor choice of vehicle for an act of intentional adulteration.’

“The FDA has received at least 163 comments on its 170-page intentional adulteration rule. Though the comment period closed Monday, more comments can be expected to appear later in the agency’s online docket. The FDA has committed to releasing a final rule by May 31, 2016.” Pros can read the rest of Bottemiller Evich’s story here: http://politico.pro/1nYfQEg

UK’S PATERSON: LET SCIENCE DECIDE ON HAGGIS, GM CROPS: “When it comes to an American ban on imports of the Scottish food dish haggis or European Union foot-dragging on U.S. genetically modified crops, Britain has the same position: ‘Decisions should be based on science,’” Pro Trade’s Doug Palmer reports.

“Owen Paterson, the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told POLITICO Pro that he and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack agreed ‘entirely’ on that basic concept, when they chatted for over an hour Monday morning.

But while there was no news of a breakthrough on the haggis front, Paterson said he hoped the UK could serve “as a bridge” in reconciling different U.S. and EU approaches to food safety in talks on the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement, which will soon enter their second year. TTIP is believed to be worth as much as 10 billion pounds annually in new income to the UK, Paterson noted. Palmer’s story is available here: http://politico.pro/TxuUjQ

PRODUCE MIXED ON OBAMA IMMIGRATION PLAN: The United Fresh Produce Association and Western Growers both had mixed reactions to President Barack Obama’s decision to pursue executive actions to address the nation’s immigration challenges. United Fresh president & CEO Tom Stenzel said that his association appreciates the commitment, but urged the House to pass legislation on the issue to gain a long-term solution. “If the House continues to disregard its responsibility to address this issue, the produce industry has no choice but to work with the Administration on short-term administrative patches that will be appreciated, but are ultimately unsatisfactory,” Stenzel said.

Tom Nassif, president & CEO of Western Growers, in a separate statement said that he and other leaders met with Vice President Biden last week to talk about immigration, but during the meeting the administration did not seek any input on policy. “Action by Congress to statutorily define our immigration policies is obviously far preferable to this situation,” of administrative action without industry input, Nassif said. He also questioned why trust in Obama could be a sticking point because any immigration reform law would be mostly implemented after Obama leaves office. More on Obama’s announcement Monday from POLITICO is available here: http://politi.co/1lthf3W

EPA URGED TO REJECT ENLIST DUO: A group of 35 doctors and public health scientists are calling on EPA to deny a request for registration from Dow AgroSciences for its new 2,4-D, glyphosate mix pesticide ENLIST Duo, arguing that the use of the chemical “would put public health at risk,” harm the environment and further perpetuate weed resistance issues. In a letter sent Monday to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, the group warns, “Decades of research have continuously demonstrated the risks of using 2,4-D, a notoriously toxic herbicide. Allowing large-scale 2,4-D spraying in combination with 2,4-D-tolerant genetically engineered crops would worsen the problem.” The letter, and its signatories, are available here: http://bit.ly/1mOii3J

PRITZKER TALKS CATFISH CONCERNS: Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker wrote Vietnamese trade minister Vu Huy Hoang early this year to allay his concerns about the Agriculture Department’s proposed catfish inspection program, which was reauthorized by the fiscal 2014 farm bill. Pritzker in the January letter committed to working with USDA and other agencies to “ensure that all measures of the catfish inspection program are consistent with our international obligations, and that they do not impose any unnecessary barriers to U.S.-Vietnam trade.”

However, the letter may not have done much good. Vietnam and nine other nations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks wrote U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, a letter in late-May outlining their concerns that the inspection program would be more restrictive than provisions in the TPP and could violate World Trade Organization rules: http://politico.pro/1pQNfTR . Pritzker’s earlier letter is available here: http://politico.pro/Tx5XoH

HSUS HOSTS LOBBY DAY WITH CONGRESS GONE: Monday was a quiet day on Capitol Hill, with many lawmakers out of town, but that didn’t seem to squash the Humane Society of the United States annual fly in. POLITICO Influence’s Byron Tau has the scoop: “‘If that were the only reason for people to come to Washington, I would agree. But that's kind of an add-on,’ said Wayne Pacelle , president of the organization, about the unusual practice of hosting a legislative fly-in on the week leading up to a big holiday like the Fourth of July. But he said that the organization's big gala and 60th anniversary celebration made it easier for many members to travel to Washington on a quiet week. ‘Saturday night, we have our 60th year celebration. So with all those of those people in town, we wanted to tack on a lobby day as an additional activity,’ he said.”

MA’s INSTANT OATS

-- The New York Times editorial board lauds President Barack Obama’s efforts on pollinators, saying a link between population declines and pesticide usage is “indisputable,” and that the president’s effort “comes not a moment too soon”: http://nyti.ms/1vprbkP

-- Researchers at Michigan State University have found that kids who are able to recognize fast food and junk food brand logos are more likely to be obese, Fox News reports: http://fxn.ws/V3TWIB

-- The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a petition from a California oyster farm to hear its appeal to stay in business on federal land despite the refusal of the Interior Department to renew its lease, the San Francisco Chronicle reports: http://bit.ly/1z3eVLn